I’ve recently been scouting around the Syosset area of Long Island, and have frequently found myself driving north on 106. And, every time I do, I’ve noticed these gates – clearly the entrance to an estate of some kind: But why was there a chain across the front? Curiosity finally got the best of me…
Last week, I was out in Long Island scouting around Jericho Turnpike, which, if you’ve never had the pleasure of driving, is one of those hellish, strip mall-lined highways with traffic lights that are perfectly synchronized to make your travel time as long as possible.
Story preface: Security guard Art graciously agreed to pose for these pictures so I could recreate this story for you.
A few weeks ago, I was driving out to Long Island to scout some airports while listening to the Howard Stern Show on Sirius-XM. During a replay of an old interview with Eddie Murphy, Stern and Murphy began commiserating over having grown up in the town of Roosevelt, Long Island – and I suddenly realized…
If you’ve ever dreamed of going back in time, forget the DeLorean and simply drive out to Atlantic Beach to visit the Catalina Beach Club. As far as I can tell, time stopped at Catalina one day around 1950 or so… …and the minute hand hasn’t ticked since. And man, is it beautiful.
Over the past three days, we’ve taken a look at the grounds of Hempstead House, the opulence of its first floor, and the decay of its basement. Today, I’m finishing off the series by taking you to the upper floors and beyond. We start by heading to the second floor via the master staircase… Though…
We’ve taken a look at the exterior of Hempstead House, as well as the beautifully restored rooms of the first floor. Heading down the hallway at the south end of the mansion, it’s time to go a little deeper… At first, you come to a series of more generic rooms: A parlor in the south-east…
This is Hempstead House today: In comparison, the below picture was taken in 1940, shortly after Hempstead became a home for refugee children from England, who had been sent to the US because of World World II. The caption reads: “Huntsmen three play safari in the jungle that once composed the formal garden. Pith helmets…
When you own an enormous castle like the one pictured below, and it’s only used to house your servants and horses… …you’re living in a world few of us can imagine. Castle Gould, based on Kilkenny Castle in Ireland, is located in Sands Point, NY (about 45 minutes from the city), on property once owned…
This is the third-floor hallway of an abandoned orphanage. Opened in 1940 to house English children orphaned because of World War II, it continued operating until the mid-1960’s. Now, bedrooms that once housed dozens of orphans at a time, pictured above and below, are empty and forgotten, and have been for over 40 years. The…